Whisper on the Edge
by 5hglee
Summary: Santana and Brittany have been the proud foster parents of six kids in the past. They've dealt with children off all different kinds. But when they end up with an abused little girl, will they be able to help her heal while dealing with the complications that come with living in the public eye?


**Brittany's POV**

"Sanny!" I shout as I enter our apartment, "I'm home! Can we have pizza tonight? I really want some pizza from Eddie's… Where are you at, San?"

"Living room baby," I hear her voice answer before another mumbles something.

I frown as I make my way to her, "Do we have guests?"

Walking in, I realize San is on the laptop, Skyping with Puck. He smiles, "Nope. Your wife was just telling me how much she missed you today."

"Was she?" I inquire, leaning down to plant a kiss on Santana's forehead, "Hi baby."

"Hi honey." She pulls me down on to her lap and asks, "How was your day? Dance a lot?"

"Fine," I begin. "Although, I spent more time trying to find Jimmy's replacement than actually teaching classes."

"What's wrong with Jimmy?" Puck questions. He and Jimmy had met when I hired him as a dance instructor while opening my dance studio. They became best friends within minutes.

San kisses my shoulder and then answers, "Britt had to take him to the hospital yesterday because he fell during rehearsals. He's got a broken ankle."

"I swear man, I'm gone for three days and you guys start falling apart," he taunts.

"Speaking of," I start. "When are you coming back? Emily called this morning complaining about missing you."

"It's the first time we've been apart since the wedding." Puck shakes his head, "I miss her too… I was scheduled to stay two more days, but my boss is letting some of us leave a day early. I should be home on Friday."

Meeting his wife, Emily, was the best thing that could've ever happened to Puck. He was visiting all of us in New York and ran into her at one of Santana's recording sessions. Emily got him in line and made him grow up a bit. He went to night school and eventually got a great job training new computer programmers. He usually doesn't have to leave town for his job, but it happens once in a while. Since the wedding 3 months ago, Emily and he had been attached at the hip. He was called out of town three days ago and Emily has been a mess without him around. Not even Santana were that bad when we got married straight out of college.

"Cool, we'll come see you and Em on Saturday," Sanny looks to me for confirmation and I nod.

* * *

><p>"I got a call from Alisa today," Santana mentions as we get ready for bed. Alisa is the social worker that handles our cases. We've been foster parents for years and absolutely love having kids around. Being foster parents just makes the whole experience even more rewarding because most of the kids we get have never been in a loving home. It makes it so worth it when the kids find out we'll actually care about them. We've had four boys and two girls so far. Most of them were teenagers, but we've had some little ones as well. Most of them we're still in contact with.<p>

"Yeah? What did she say?" I inquire.

Arms wrap around my waist from behind and Sanny's soft smile shines through the mirror before she explains, "We have a meeting with her at the office tomorrow afternoon. She's got a special case for us that needs a bit more privacy while explaining… I think she's kinda desperate with this one. Or, at least, that's the way she sounded on the phone."

Burrowing under the blankets, San's body rolls on top of my own. A kiss is pressed to my forehead and a grin forms on my lips. I push a piece of raven hair out of her face as I wonder, "We'll be singing the custody papers tomorrow, won't we?"

"Of course we will," she smiles. "We can't resist having kids around. We do parenting too well not to have kids all the time."

I giggle, pushing her off of me, "We do."

* * *

><p>"Hello ladies," Alisa greets us as she opens her office door.<p>

"Hi Alisa," I shake her hand and take a seat in front of her desk.

Santana sits next to me and says, "It's nice to see you. Been a while."

"Yes it has," she replies, taking a seat at her desk. "But, now I need your help."

"Is there a new foster child?" Sanny asks. "Because we've been talking, and we'd love to have another kid."

Alisa sighs, "Yeah, I'm desperate. No one wants her. They say she's too complicated and they don't wanna get involved."

"We're good at complicated," I state.

"True," she chuckles. "You've always done well with getting kids back on the right track… It's just… This isn't exactly like that."

I frown as San inquires, "Then, what's it like?"

"She's only four… Her name is Lucy and she was abused by her biological parents… We're not exactly sure what extent the abuse went to because she's way too scared to talk about it, but we had plenty of physical evidence. The parents were sentenced to jail time last week… Lucy's been staying with a detective that was helping with her case… Lucy's so… she's so broken… We can barely get her to talk at all… I can't even explain it to you. You'll have to see it for yourself… If you're willing to?" she raises an eyebrow.

I glance at Santana and it only takes a second for me to know we're on the same page, "Of course. We'd love to have her. We can deal with any problems that come up."

"Speaking of problems: we've been trying to have her talk to a therapist. For the most part she doesn't say anything, but he thinks that she might have social anxiety disorder. She's had numerous panic attacks since I've known her, and there were plenty before that also," she reveals.

Sanny frowns, "That's not a problem, Alisa. That's just something we'll deal with and help her through."

Alisa's eyes light up, "I knew you two were perfect for this."

"As long as you explain to her before we get there that it's two women and not a man and a women," I remind her. "Last time we showed up and you hadn't explained, that kid went crazy."

"Don't worry. I think she'll be relieved. We've noticed that she's a little less tense when there're no men around," Alisa sighs. "I'll have to do some paperwork today and then talk to her tomorrow morning. She's gotten used to being at the police station a lot lately and she seems the least scared when she's there, so you can meet her there. If everything works out and she likes you guys, you'll be able to take her home tomorrow night… How 'bout I email you the details tonight and I'll see you tomorrow afternoon?"

"Perfect," I smile.

* * *

><p>"Britt?" Santana's soft voice invades the silence.<p>

I bury my face in her hair, "Yeah baby?"

"How… How does someone hurt a four year old… She's just a baby… a little girl…" she turns her head a little and the moon reflects in her dark eyes. Not many people see this Santana: the one that worries about children, and thinks about pain, and gets sad. I do, but I'm her person and she's mine, so it's ok for her to be this Santana around me because I'm safe.

"I'm not sure… I guess… Well, the way I see it… if everyone was good and perfect and did everything the right way and nobody was bad or evil or hurtful- well then we wouldn't really think the good people were good… We'd just think they were the normal people and no one who was special would feel special… I think we need good people and bad people 'cause otherwise we'd all be normal… and I-I don't really wanna be just normal…" I ramble into her neck.

Santana rolls over, stroking my cheek with the back of her hand. The moonlight shows me the tears in her eyes. She blinks and they fall to the pillow. I don't like seeing her cry.

"Did I say something wrong?" I ask, worried I caused the tears.

"No, not at all," her head shakes slightly. "It was perfect. Exactly what I needed, Baby B."

We descend into silence once again, our eyes connecting. The tears are gone now and I'm glad I don't have to see her sad. A deep breath escapes my lips before I whisper, "We'll take care of her, Sanny. We'll love her and that's the most important thing."

She places a chaste kiss on my lips and snuggles further into my arms, "I know. I love you, Baby B."

"Love you too, Sanny."

* * *

><p><strong>Santana's POV<strong>

"Wait, she's only four?" Kurt frowns. "How bad was the abuse? I mean, wouldn't she like… break? She's gotta be really tiny."

"Alisa said they're not exactly sure how bad it was, but she also said they put her parents in jail based on physical evidence, so obviously it must've been pretty bad," I shrug. "We're supposed to pick her up at two and we can only take her home tonight if she's comfortable enough."

"But," Brittany interjects. "Alisa is skeptical that we'll get her tonight. It took them a whole week to get her to talk to anyone and then another week to get her to go stay at a detective's house. She probably won't even talk to us today. Alisa just wants her to start getting used to us being around. The more she's around us, the more comfortable she'll be when we do take her home."

"But you have the papers so whenever she's ready you can take her home?" Rachel quirks her head to the side.

I nod, "Yeah, but the goal is to make her comfortable with us before we put her in a completely new situation."

"Isn't she already in a completely new situation?" Kurt narrows his eyes. "I mean, they took her from what she's always known, even if it was horrible and abusive."

Brittany shakes her head, "Yeah, but she's already been out of the house and living with the detective for a whole month. Well… she sleeps at her house, but she spends her days at the station for the most part. That's where we have to go today. She's gotten used to being there."

"Don't you think it's unhealthy for a little girl to be living like that?" Rachel inquires. "Especially after everything she's been through. That's not very stable. Why hasn't she been placed in a foster home yet?"

"Alisa's been trying, but Lucy most likely has social anxiety disorder and the other foster parents don't wanna deal with all the complications…" I sigh.

"What?" Rachel squeaks. "How the hell do you abandon an abused four year old? That's like cruel."

"Tell me about it," Britt exhales deeply.

* * *

><p>"Hi there," Alisa says as we walk up to her. I send her a half smile before looking into the small window in the door on my right.<p>

"Is she in there?" I ask, tilting my head towards the door.

"Yeah," Alisa nods. "She hasn't left all morning. We told her about you two a couple hours ago, and I could tell she was a little relieved when she heard there would be no males in the house."

"Men can be more intimidating to a four year old than women," Brittany mumbles, looking through the window and frowning. "Where is she? I don't see her."

"She's hiding," Alisa replies. "There's a little spot between the couch and wall where she likes to sit. We've found that she likes to hide in small spaces. I guess it makes her feel safe."

I close my eyes and shake my head slowly; there is a little girl who feels the need to hide in order to be safe. It's complete asinine.

"What else should we know?" Brittany asks, rubbing the base of my neck softly. I lean a bit further into her, needing more contact.

"Physically, she's pretty healthy. The doctor who's been treating her says that she's recovered from the abuse extremely well. At least, physically. Her speech is beyond her years. Obviously, she doesn't talk very much, but when she does, it's not like a four year old. The speech patterns are those of a child years older. She's very smart. We found out a couple weeks ago that she already knows how to read to a certain degree. Let's see… Oh, the therapist says that you might wanna get her a teddy bear or a blanket. He said that even though they're primarily more for younger kids, she's still a little behind on her mental and emotional growth for obvious reasons. Also, he said having something like that might be helpful to calm her when the S.A.D. flares up… He also wants her to continue therapy, whether it be with him, or another doctor."

"We already planned to keep her in therapy," I say. "I didn't think it was even a discussion. But we think she might do better with a female doctor. We'll look into it for her."

"Sounds like you two are more than ready," Alisa smiles. "Don't worry. She's probably not gonna warm up to you guys for a while. But getting her used to you both with help her be comfortable. As soon as she's ready, all the silly legal things are ready for you to take her home."

"Alright," I exhale deeply. "Let's go. I wanna see her."

"Me too," Britt kisses my cheek.

Alisa nods, opening the door. I go next, Brittany bringing up the rear. Alisa goes straight to the small spot between the couch and the wall in the far corner. Kneeling down, she quietly says, "Lucy, Santana and Brittany are here to see you. I'll be right here too, I promise."

Alisa stands up, taking a few steps back. When she gestures to the ground, I nod and take her space, kneeling where she had. I feel Brittany kneeling next to me, but all I can focus on is the little girl in the corner. Knees up to her chest, I can just barely see her hazel eyes peeking out from behind them. Her messy bleach blonde hair flows down past her tiny shoulders that visibly tense up as she looks at us. Lifting her head up just a little bit, a small button nose pokes out. Rosy cheeks brush up against her knees as she looks back and forth between me and Brittany.

"Hi there, sweetheart," I smile at her gently. "My name is Santana and this is my wife Brittany."

"It's nice to meet you, honey," Britt adds. "And you can call us whatever you want. We don't mind."

"You're name is Lucy, right?" I question, going on without an answer, "Is it ok if we sit with you for a while?"

Lucy's little eyes flicker between us and we wait patiently. Finally, she's gives a nod of her head, almost unnoticeable, but we get the message. Brittany and I situate ourselves on the ground. I take a moment to recognize that the space she's in is almost too small for her, but she seems to be comfortable there.

"Lucy, I just want you to know, that it's completely fine if you don't wanna talk," Brittany speaks first. "We won't be mad at all if you stay quiet. But, if you have something to say, you're also allowed to do that, ok honey?"

Lucy once again gives a single nod before pulling her knees tighter to her tiny frame. I try to make conversation, "So, we heard you've been living with one of the police women. Do you like it there?"

She shakes her head, a little more confidently, never taking her eyes off of our faces.

"You don't?" I ask, a gentle voice coming out. "You wanna tell us why not?"

We both wait, giving her the option to speak, but not expecting her to. Britt and I find ourselves surprised when she searches our eyes carefully before whispering, "Scary."

I shoot a look of shock towards Alisa, which she returns. Lucy speaking today was not on our list of things to expect. Her voice still has its childish ring to it, but as Alisa said, she has no problem pronouncing the word for the most part. Brittany steps up, ignoring our surprise, "It's scary? Well, that's not good. Can you tell me why it's scary?"

Lucy just gives a little shrug. I realize she's probably scared all the time, not just because of where she's staying. I tilt my head a bit, "You don't know? That's ok. Sometimes I get scared too when there's nothing around to scare me."

"Really?" Lucy's questioning voice once again surprises us all.

"Yep," I say, popping the 'p.'

"Me too," Britt adds.

Lucy bites her chapped lip roughly before admitting, "I don't like bein' scared."

I feel my heart break a little. Brittany quickly says, "Well, guess what. Santana and I… We're really safe. And we can keep you safe too… We don't want you to feel scared anymore."

We watch as Lucy's eyes fill with tears and her tiny fists come up to furiously rub at them, "I-I'm sorry… P-Pwease, I'm s-sowwy…"

"Hey, hey, hey…" I gently murmur, scooting forward a bit. "It's ok, little one. It's alright to cry. We're not mad at you. Just take some deep breaths."

"N-No, no, n-no… I-I sowwy…" Lucy continues to violently rub at her eyes. Britt and I both take notice of how her speech regresses the more worked up she gets. Maybe she works at keeping it sounding better, but when she's upset she can't help it.

Not able to take anymore, I lean forward and wrap my arms completely around the little girl. Pulling her out of the space, I set her on my lap sideways, so Brittany can see her. Obviously Britt gets the message because she quickly moves as close to us as she can and gently puts her hands on top of Lucy's.

"Baby, it's ok. You're gonna hurt yourself. Just relax for me, ok? Me and Santana are right here," Britt whispers in her ear. "We're safe, remember? Safe, I promise."

Slowly, Lucy's fists lower from her red eyes and sit on her lap. I squeeze her a little, "Good girl. See? Everything's ok. You can cry if you want to. We won't be upset with you. We just don't want you to hurt yourself like you were."

"Safe…" Lucy mumbles under breath.

"Yeah, that's right… Safe…" I grin and duck my head to catch her gaze. After a second of hesitation, Lucy does meet my eyes, "Hi there, little one. You have very pretty eyes."

"I l-like yours," she whispers.

"Well, I think your hair is beautiful," Brittany runs her fingers through the girl's blonde locks.

Lucy actually gives us a little smile, "Only 'cause it's wike yours."

"Maybe," Britt grins.

A voice clears behind me and I jump a bit before realizing it's only Alisa, "Sorry to break this up, but I was wondering if you all wanted some alone time?"

"It's up to you, little one."

Lucy looks up at Alisa for a second before giving a small nod. Alisa smiles at Britt and me, "Ok, I'll be right outside if you need me, Lucy."

Alisa doesn't hesitate before walking out the door we came in. Turning back to the tiny body in my arms, I gently knock my head into the side of hers, "So, you got any questions for us, sweetheart?"

Lucy frowns a little and looks down at Brittany's hands holding her own, "I-I… I'm goin' h-home with you t-two?"

Brittany nods slightly, "Yes, one day."

Lucy's eyes snap up to Britt's, "N-Not tah-day?"

"Well," I start. "It depends on you, little one. If you want to, you can come home with us today. But, we thought you might like to meet with us a few more times before you come with us."

Her head bows, little eyebrows tilting down again. Mouth opening, she pauses before whispering, "You s-said safe…"

"We are very safe, little one," B assures her.

"I-I don't wanna st-stay again… I-I wanna g-go with you…"

"Ok, honey," I grin, pressing a kiss to her temple. "We can go anytime you want."

Carefully, Lucy leans into my front a little further, relaxing her tense shoulders, "W-where do ya li-live?"

"Not far from here," Britt explains. "In an apartment with a big kitchen and a huge comfy couch. And if you look out the window, there's a little pond with ducks."

"I-Is there uh-der kids?"

"No, not right now." I tell her, "We've helped out a bunch of kids before that didn't have homes, but they all grew up or went somewhere else."

The small girl's hazel eyes grew worried, "W-Will I have t-tah go s-somewhere else?"

Quickly, I shake my head, "No, little one. You get to be with us for a long, long time."

Lucy nods, once again calming down. Britt and I notice a questions waiting to come out of her, so we wait patiently in silence. It seems like an important thought because of the way she braces herself for our answer. Finally, she asks, "A-Are you t-two gay?"

My eyebrows shoot to my hairline, shocked at use of the word gay. Brittany recovers before I do, "Ummm… Yeah, sweetie. Santana and I are married, though, just like a boy and a girl can be."

"Where did you learn that word, little one?" I ask.

Lucy looks me in the eyes as her whole body tries to suddenly fight against my hold on her, "P-Please… P-Pwease don't be mah ah m-me…"

"Woah, baby, relax… We're not mad at all… We just wanna know where you heard that word," Brittany soothes as she helps pull Lucy back on to my lap. Petting her hair gently, we both try to use our actions to show her that we won't hurt her. It seems that she responds better to our reassuring touch than she responds to our reassuring words. She stops fighting against us, her body melting into our arms.

After a few minutes, Lucy's breathing goes back to a normal rate and she mumbles, "D-Daddy said i-it…"

I glance up to Britt and our eyes meet before we look back to the hazel eyes watching us, "Ok, little one. We were just wondering. You're not in trouble and you didn't do anything wrong."

"C-Can we l-leave now?" the small murmur asks carefully.

I smile softly at both Lucy and Britt, "Of course we can, little one."


End file.
